ROMANCE AND CIGARETTES, the latest film from actor/director John Turturro (BARTON FINK) will be the Centerpiece Film of the upcoming San Francisco International Film Festival. The musical comedy/drama had its international debut at the Venice International Film Festival, where it competed for the prestigious Golden Lion.

The 49th San Francisco International Film Festival (running April 20 to May 4) will launch on April 20th with the US Premiere of PERHAPS LOVE, the first film from Hong Kong to open the Festival. The film will have its gala screening at the historic Castro Theater, one of the grandest and most beautiful cinema palaces in the country. The film, directed by Hong Kong auteur Peter Chan, will kick off 15 days of movie magic as the oldest film festival in North America again unspools in the City by the Bay.

The diversity of the film and media cultures of San Francisco are now available at the touch of a keystroke on the new SF360.org website that was launched last week. The venture is a collaboration between the San Francisco Film Society, which will present the San Francisco International Film Festival next month, and indieWIRE, the leading online source for information on the dynamic American independent film scene. Veteran film critic and media journalist Susan Gerhard has been tapped as the website's editor and bureau chief.